This application claims priority to Indian Patent Application No. 3865/DEL/2015 filed Nov. 26, 2015, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Stowing carry-on items on the overhead bin of an aircraft may be limited by bin space and the size of typical carry-on luggage. Although most airlines limit the number of bags that can be stowed in the bins, some passengers may carry more carry-on items than the allowed. Since carry-on luggage may vary in size, some passengers having over-sized luggage may take more bin space than others. Moreover, bags may be stored on a first come first serve basis, so the passengers boarding in the later (last) boarding group may not have enough space to store their bags in the overhead bin simply because of the order of their boarding the aircraft.
In other instances, passengers may need to check their luggage because other passengers have fit oversized bags in the overhead bin, which may requires later-boarding passengers to check their permissibly-sized luggage with the flight attendant and retrieve their luggage at the arrival gate or the baggage claim.
Flight attendants may not have a complete picture of space availability in all the overhead bins, and may not be aware that a single passenger has taken more than their allotted space in the bin. Flight attendants may open every individual overhead bin in an effort to assist passengers boarding later, to search for space availability to stow their carry-on bags. Pilots and airlines may be affected by the delay take-off.
Some passengers may attempt to fit the over-sized and/or overweight luggage in the overhead bins using force to close the door. This may cause structural damage to the overhead bins, which may also result in delayed takeoff or a cancelled flight if the structural damage is significant. In other instances, if a bin door is improperly closed and it is not noticed by a flight attendant, it may be possible for the overhead bin door latch mechanism to open during the flight, which may allow items to fall from the storage bin. It may not be clear to a flight attendant that a bin door is improperly closed, is overloaded, or remains unlocked or is improperly closed. Moreover, using conventional methods, it may not be feasible for a flight attendant to inspect and monitor the status of all overhead storage bins on the aircraft.